Representative Upton wrong about his bill

Yesterday, at a townhall meeting in Portage, Michigan, Representative Fred Upton – Chairman of the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee – misrepresented a bill he sponsored, saying it “doesn’t undermine the Clean Air Act.”

Despite what Rep. Upton says, his bill very much undermines the Clean Air Act:

Rep. Upton’s bill exempts carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping pollutants from the Clean Air Act’s definition of “air pollutant,” overturning the Supreme Court’s landmark decisionMassachusetts v. EPA — which required the EPA to act on carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act if it determined the pollution to be a public health threat (which it did).

Rep. Upton’s bill blatantly ignores scientific findings. The bill repeals EPA’s scientific finding that carbon dioxide and other climate-changing pollutants are bringing Americans death, illness, and injury. Rep. Upton’s bill thereby disregards the findings of the National Academy of Sciences and countless other scientific experts.Important health groups agree his bill would strip away protections under theClean Air Act. The American Lung Association issued a statement urging Congress to “to reject Chairman Fred Upton’s draft bill that will undermine the Clean Air Act.”

Heather Taylor-Miesle NRDC Action Fund

Heather Taylor-Miesle is the Director of the NRDC Action Fund. With more than 13 years of experience in federal politics as a public interest lobbyist, political consultant and on Capitol Hill, she has expertise in federal energy, environmental health, and appropriations issues. Prior to becoming director of the NRDC Action Fund, Ms. Taylor-Miesle was the associate legislative director at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the world’s premier environmental organizations. Prior to her position at the NRDC, Ms. Taylor-Miesle worked on Capitol Hill, first as an aide to now Governor Ted Strickland (D-OH) and then as a senior staff member for current Labor Secretary, Hilda Solis (D-CA). Follow Heather and NRDC's Action Fund on Facebook(www.facebook.com/nrdcactionfund).